The Drug Education Practitioners’ Forum (DEPF)

Background

The Drug Education Practitioners’ Forum (DEPF) was founded in 1990. It has developed an influential role as the independent voice of the practitioner, participating actively in several national consultations and working with affiliated organisations. The forum also provides structured opportunities for its members to keep abreast of current drug education developments, to hear about good practice and to share their own experience. The Forum is unique in maintaining an individual membership which is drawn from a wide range of organisations including local authority, private and voluntary sector. The Forum is unique in its focus on drug education practice across a wide range of settings including schools, colleges, PRU (Pupil Referral Units), alternative education providers, drug service providers or the secure estate.

Currently the Forum has no membership subscription. This is partly to maintain a low administrative burden, but also, more importantly, to respond to the lack of available funding among many of its members, particularly in the voluntary sector. Since funding ceased we have been reliant upon generosity of other members, services and agencies.

The DEPF gives practitioners an opportunity for discussion and exchange of views and ideas and provides unique insights into what works in practice and helps to meet the needs of our most hard to reach young people regardless of the educational setting.

Aim

The Drug Education Practitioners’ Forum welcomes new members. Membership of the forum is open to all those involved in supporting and providing drug education in formal and informal settings.

Members share a commitment to the forum’s aim:

The purpose of the forum is to enhance and promote quality in drug education through support for the professional development of drug education practitioners working in formal and informal settings.

Objectives

The purpose of the forum is to enhance and promote quality in drug education through support for the professional development of drug education practitioners working in formal and informal settings.

To enable the exchange of information, ideas and opinions on issues relating to drug education

To share and disseminate good practice in drug education

To raise awareness of drug education resources, projects and initiatives

To explore and discuss a variety of approaches to drug education

To examine and consider the implications of policies, guidelines, research and evaluation findings

To provide a voice for drug education practitioners

To maintain a high profile for drug education and enhance the reputation of the forum through contributions to other relevant groups.

Constitution

Meetings will be held at least three times a year. Each meeting features a guest speaker on an issue of current interest in drug education, and opportunities for members to share good practice and consult other members on the challenges they face.

There will be two elected officers: a chair and a vice-chair. The terms of office will be three years

Officers of the forum shall be elected by the membership. To nominate a candidate for the position of chair or vice chair, the nominated person must be a member of the forum and a nominator and seconder, both of whom must be forum members, must support their nomination. The election process will be administered and overseen by the DEPF as forum administrator.

Removal of a serving officer will be by ten statements of no confidence in the officer being received by the DEPF as forum administrator

A range of support services, including administrative and secretarial will be provided by DEPF.

Who can join?

Membership of the forum is open to all professionals involved in supporting and providing drug education in formal and informal settings.